


A Very Vampire Christmas

by ItchyToaster



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Secret Santa, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 02:24:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItchyToaster/pseuds/ItchyToaster
Summary: “That’s like, a highlight of childhood, Eds. The shitload of gifts, Christmas movies, Mall Santas?” Richie listed off with enthusiasm, only for Eddie to shake his head in return. The taller man threw his arms in the air with defeat.“Awh c’mon Eds! Why? How?”





	A Very Vampire Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> A secret Santa gift for @heknewwellenough on tumblr :)

Eddie had been turned when he was twenty-four. December 13th, 1794. After he finally ran away from his fanatic mother to attended school, his roommate had gotten a taste for him. Literally. After coming to terms with the idea of living for eternity, and the disgusting need for blood, Eddie decided to try and do what he loved most: learn. 

He loved college, he really did. Even after attending his first time, he kept going back because he loved to learn. That, and there wasn’t much else to do when you were destined to look like a college student while aging past the graves of his parents. And, if he was destined to be looking twenty-something all his life, he might as well make some friends who were actually twenty-four.

And that’s why the vampire was wandering through the little pop-up-shops that sponsored the university’s annual holiday festivities. The snow dotted his hair and eyelashes, arms wrapped around his body as he walked through the small crowded alleyways in between the small stands. He tried to search for people he knew but came up with only unfamiliar faces. Letting out a huff, Eddie walked up to one of the booths. Hell, even if he never celebrated Christmas before, he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to indulge a little in the holiday treats. 

 

**..**

 

Christmas was Richie’s favorite time of the year; well, after the 4th of July, but Christmas was a close second. It truly was a magical time for Richie Tozier, even if he did happen to be 21 without any belief in a fat man that steals baked goods in exchange for presents. For Richie, the holidays meant decorations, gifts, hot chocolate, sledding, building snowmen, and wearing hideous sweaters without judgment. It was all his favorite things wrapped up into one, and he always loved doing all of those things with the people he loved most. 

 

Richie and his best friends decided to spend their holiday together, and since their finals were completely done, the six of them decided to attend the holiday festivities that the university campus held every year. It was supposed to be a balance for the student body after their weeks of studying and stress, but it mostly led to students going to the Christmas market and ice skating instead of studying. Richie would have done the same if it hadn’t been for Stan’s incentive that if they finished all their finals, he’d buy Richie all the sweets his heart desired. 

 

The six of them managed to stay together; Mike at the front because he was the tallest, (even though Richie insisted they were the same height. They were not.) followed by Stan, Richie, Bill, Beverly, and Ben. The only reason they weren’t separated was that of their linked arms, all single file through the other groups of tired, overworked college students in need of some holiday cheer.

 

“Mike hurry up I’m hungie!” Richie cried from behind Stan.

 

Stanley whipped his head around, eyes narrowed. “The word is  _ hungry _ , and if you want me to buy anything for you, don’t talk in the baby voice.” He huffed, looking back to smile lovingly at his boyfriend as if he hadn’t just yelled at Richie. 

“Jeez  _ Mom _ , sorry Daddy didn’t give you head today.” Richie smiled at the eye roll he got from Stanley and the bark of laughter that came from Mike. “Can we stop the buddy system? I know it makes you feel secure,  _ Dad,”  _ Richie called, referring to Mike at the front of the line. “but I’m fucking starving.” Richie insisted again, yanking himself from the line the group had formed.

“Richie—!” Stan cried as he was pulled from the group, already being dragged up to the nearest food stand. The other four watched with dismay as they departed into the crowd, disappearing into the sea of snow and sweaters.

 

As the two of them walked by each booth, the smells of tantalizing dishes surrounded them. Every student organization had a stand set up for fundraising, selling pleasant items to the rest of the student body, and Richie was happy to give all of ~~his~~ Stan’s money away in the name of tasty food. 

 

“I want one of  _ everything _ ,” Richie demanded, grinning at his friend. Stanley rolled his eyes, fishing in his jacket pocket for his wallet. 

“I’m giving you twenty dollars. Go nuts.” He deadpanned as the cash was snatched from his hand.

“Gee thanks, Ma!” Richie teased, placing a big wet kiss on his Stan’s cheek, dashing off again before he could be yelled at.

 

He began his hunt for deserts, as his sweet tooth had begun to get the best of him amidst all the delightful treats. Richie came upon a bake sale one of the sororities was running. Even though the thought of seeing Greta Bowie made his insides rot with anger, the scent of sweet treats and baked goods that permeated from their tables was enough for him to put his loathing for the woman aside in the spirit of the holidays, and his hunger. Richie had to give to those bitches; Alpha Gamma Delta knew how to throw the fuck down in the kitchen. 

 

Richie made his way to the stand, ignoring the obvious line that had formed. He rushed to the front, his stomach thinking for his brain, or what was left of it. He pushed aside the short man that was ordering, eyes widening at the array of baked goods they had. Richie beamed up at the sorority girls’ irritated expressions. But, the girls behind the table weren’t the only ones upset. 

 

“Uh, excuse  _ me _ ,” The shorter man growled, shoving Richie aside, his strength taking the lanky man back at the sight of their height difference. 

 

Richie’s eyes widened, recognizing who it was. Eddie Kaspbrak, the Senior in his 18th Century Western European history class that was quote ‘ _ stupid  _ smart’, according to Mike, who shared the same class with the pint-sized pupil. 

 

There were rumors that went around about Kaspbrak, like how he cheated on every test he ever took, an obvious bold-faced lie, or how he was a track star all through high school but gave it up after he got the scholarship for school. The weirdest one though, one that Richie heard about ever October, was that Eddie Kaspbrak was a vampire. But, you know what they say about rumors; they’re mostly true. Sure, in his sophomore year he was dedicated to the flat-earther movement, but other than that, Richie Tozier wasn’t known as a sucker for rumors. 

 

But… they did seem to add up when Richie got to thinking about it. Eddie’s intelligence matched his beauty. The man’s freckled skin was like porcelain, smooth and milky. It never blemished or bruised, even if he did appear meek and frail. His dark eyes were wide and hypnotizing, looking through whoever he laid eyes on, and when they did, his gaze radiated dark, curious energy, like he was peering into your soul. Even now, Richie could feel himself getting lost in those brown eyes, even if they were shooting daggers into him. 

 

“Are you going to move?” Eddie snarled when Richie still stood by him. 

_ Shit.  _ Richie swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. His mind was swimming, thinking of what to say before he began to stutter. Then it clicked. It was the end of the semester after all…

“No,” Richie said, watching as Eddie’s brow’s raised in surprise, looking him up and down.

Richie grinned. “Let me buy you something, but I don’t really get why a sweet thing like you would need a desert.”

Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. “No. Just because we have a class together doesn’t mean we’re friends, Tozier. Get out of here.” He shorter man snarled, and Richie swore he saw pointed teeth as Eddie spat at him.

 

The shorter man began looking through his jacket for his wallet, sifting through his jeans and coat, only to come up empty-handed. He cursed under his breath, looking up to see the same tall figure with a look of delight on his face.  

“So is that a yes, Eds?”

“It’s  _ Eddie,  _ and yes, but don’t think anything else of this.” Eddie gestured to the space between them as if there was something connecting them.

 

Eddie ordered a hot chocolate with extra whip cream and a sugar cookie shaped like a candy cane. Richie asked for one of everything, stuffing his backpack with cookies and holding a candy cane dangling in his mouth like a cigarette. They walked through the market, the building and trees lit up with dazzling colors that twinkled in the snowfall.

 

“...Thanks.” Eddie said quietly, looking up at Richie.

The lanky man took the candy cane from between his lips, his breath coming out like smoke as he spoke with a grin “Consider it a Christmas gift, Eds.”

“Actually,” Eddie turned the candy cane that sat in his paper cup. “I never really celebrated Christmas.” He shrugged.

Richie’s eyes went wide, brows rising to the sky. His jaw fell open, the candy cane hanging in his mouth. “You’re kidding.”

“About what?”

“You’ve never celebrated Christmas?”

“Never.”

“Not even as a kid?” Richie interrogated, stopping in the middle of one of the makeshift alleyways. 

“That’s like, a  _ highlight  _ of childhood, Eds. The shitload of gifts, Christmas movies,  _ Mall Santas?”  _ Richie listed off with enthusiasm, only for Eddie to shake his head in return. The taller man threw his arms in the air with defeat. “Awh c’mon Eds! Why? How?”

“It just wasn’t something I did as a kid.” Eddie shrugged, eyes still looking into his drink, trying not to think too hard about the bleak childhood he had. The howl of laughter that came from Richie brought him out of his thoughts.

 

“What? Did Christmas not exist? C’mon Eds, you’re only a year older than me. Should I start calling you Gramps instead?” Richie teased as Eddie rolled his eyes. The shorter man didn’t reply for a moment while Richie still snickered about his own joke. “So this is your first time celebrating?” Richie asked.

 

Eddie nodded, sipping his drink and coming away with whip cream on his upper lip. He quickly licked it away while Richie laughed. “Yeah,” Eddie spoke, trying not to laugh with the lanky man. “That’s why I came here but…” He looked around at all the smiling groups of people, all filled with holiday cheer. 

“I don’t really have anyone to celebrate with…” He frowned, looking at his snow-covered shoes and lightly kicking the ground.

 

Two hands came to rest on his shoulders, squeezing lightly. The gesture made Eddie’s brows knit, and he looked up to see Richie’s rosy freckled face bright with joy. His glasses reflected the lights around him, making his eyes twinkle as he grinned. 

“Eddie, my dear,” Richie’s hands rubbed Eddie’s shoulders. “Allow me to introduce you to the best time of the year. Whaddya’ say?” His lips spread into a wide toothy grin.

Eddie couldn’t help but return the smile, giggling as he replied. “Sounds great.” 

“Well then, Eddie Kaspbrak, you’ve just enrolled in Christmas 101! This is a pass-fail class based on participation alone. You ready?” Richie declared.

“Sure.” Eddie smiled, being taken by the hand into the sea of festivities. As they went through all the booths, Richie began telling Eddie of all the wonderful things about Christmas, even going as far as to point out the different trinkets that decorated the different booths and their ‘festive significance’.

 

Eddie laughed as Richie talked. “I don't need a lesson on the history of Christmas, I just want to celebrate the damn thing.” His eyes rolled as he flung his hands in the air. It wasn't until then that he realized he was still holding Richie's gloved hand.

“Oh. Uh,” His cheeks burned as he stuffed his hand back into his own pocket. His eyes darted around past the faces, eyeing a line that led up to Santa Claus. The sight was ridiculous, making Eddie snort. Richie gasped.

“Oh my  _ GOD, _ IT'S SANTA!”

 

Before Eddie could protest, his hand was already being taken by Richie's once more and he was dragged into the line while Richie grinned all the way. Their hands were once again intertwined, Richie holding tightly as they waited in line to meet the fat jolly man.

Eddie watched, and even though he tried to be irritated at the sight, he couldn’t help but smile at the child-like joy that poured from Richie Tozier. He laughed. “C’mon, Richie, it can’t be that exciting, can it?” He asked brow arched up at the lanky figure.

The expression he got in return was almost one of horror. “Eds, you haven’t even met Santa before. How can you act like this? It’s Christmas, Kaspbrak! Live a little!” Richie grinned, pulling out his phone as they moved up and up in line. “I gotta take a picture of you when we get up there.” He beamed at the screen.

 

Eddie was about to laugh in agreement when he realized.  _ Shit.  _ If Richie took a picture of him, he’d know. Suddenly, the grip on his hand became too much,  and his body began to tremble with fear.  _ Shit shit shit.  _

As he kept thinking, the two of them got closer and closer to the throne where the Santa sat, and Eddie gnawed on the inside of his cheek in thought, looking at Santa and back at Richie. He looked around, trying to find a distraction of any kind, but found none.

“We’re up next, Eds! Are you excited?” Richie grinned. Eddie nodded with a forced smile as they stepped up to greet the man in the fat suit.

 

“Um…” Eddie gave the man dressed as Santa a wry smile, standing next to him even though Richie begged for him to sit on Santa’s lap. As Richie held up his phone, Eddie swore he felt his stomach twist and knot like string. 

“1…”

_ Fuck. _

“2…”

Eddie smiled as best he could, his fangs starting to grow instinctively in the midst of his fear. 

“3! See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Richie smiled as they walked away, and Eddie nodded, clenching and unclenching his hands in his pockets. He glanced over at Richie’s phone, seeing him scroll through the pictures with knitted brows.

 

“Huh…” Richie stopped in his tracks. Eddie froze, eyes wide. 

“What is it..?” He asked, trying to sound as inconspicuous as possible.

Richie looked up from his phone, his horrified gaze locking with Eddie’s.

“ _ Shit.”  _ The vampire cured under his breath, swallowing thickly. Richie started to walk closer to him, his eyes unfaltering.

 

“I gotta go.” And Eddie was off, sprinting back into the crowd while he could hear Richie calling after him, but his voice quickly meshed with the others as the vampire ran through and into bodies, dashing around corners trying to get far far far far away from whatever horror he was, whatever horror Richie saw him as. 

 

His breath was labored, but the ancient being, blessed with speed, managed to dash through the Christmas market, finding himself in the empty paths on an almost barren campus. Silence gathered him in its arms, and the fresh blanket of snow put him in a state of tranquility, though his ears rang and his stomach ached with paranoia. 

 

Eddie heaved, looking around before sitting down on one of the benches. The glow of the street lamp beat down on him a halo forming around his snow dusted body. A groan of despair fell from his throat, and his head lowered in his hands as he tried to calm down. 

 

For so long he had been so safe, so far, but even just a touch of human contact, and it was blown to smithereens. Eddie cursed himself for being so foolish, so needy to be human again, to  _ feel  _ again. It was nauseating, and of all people to find out, the one with the biggest mouth. Eddie already knew that the Trashmouth was already out talking about the weirdo Eddie Kaspbrak. The  _ monster.  _

 

“Hey.”

Eddie looked up.

“Can I sit here?”

 

He nodded. 

Richie brushed the snow off the bench, sitting on the other side silently. Neither of them spoke.

 

“So it’s true?”

 

Eddie nodded. 

 

“...I deleted the photo.”

 

Eddie looked up, brow knitted. “Really?” Richie nodded. “Why?”

 

“ ‘cause,” Richie shrugged, head turning to look at Eddie with a weak smile. “No one would believe me if I told ‘em.” 

 

They both laughed quietly before they lingered in the silence once more. Richie’s fingers drummed on the cold wood of the bench. 

 

“I just…” He started again, his eyes on the fresh snow in front of him as he spoke. “I want you to trust me. Your secret’s safe with me, and I want you to know that it’ll stay that way I promise. Like, I may be a Trashmouth but I promise you can trust me—” 

“Richie,” Eddie shook his head. Their eyes met. “Don’t do this.” Their fingers were splayed out, reaching out towards one another on the bench.

“Eddie. I don’t know what it’s like… but I just…” Richie stopped as if he was choking on his own words. His leg bounced rapidly, trying to steady himself on his thoughts. The silence he got from Eddie was deafening. 

“I feel like… drawn to you… and I  _ need  _ you to trust me because I just…” Richie sighed. “I  _ know  _ that you’re supposed to be here…” He paused for a moment, eyes still glued to the ground. He could feel those dark eyes burrowing into him. “Does that make sense..?” His head finally lifted, his face painted with confusion. 

 

Eddie wet his lower lip, cracking his knuckles. He thought twin flames were a joke, that there wasn’t such a thing as a soul mate that could be so magnetic it could  _ hurt _ , and Eddie, able to completely ignore anything if he put his mind to it, ignored all the signs, all the longing looks, the physical need that just gnawed at him. At Richie’s words, at his confirmation, Eddie almost felt to burst out in laughter, for the hysterical idea was true. 

 

“Eds say something.” 

 

Eddie looked up. “You’re right.” He finally closed the gap between them, holding Richie by the shoulders and pulling him into a kiss. He could feel the taller man tense but suddenly relax under him. Their lips glided together in a slow passionate kiss. Eddie could feel a fire between them, and in his hollow chest, he swore he felt his heart fluttering wildly with passion. Never had he felt so alive. He felt relaxed as he kissed Richie, his shoulder releasing all the tension he hadn’t realized he held. Eddie felt like he was kissing a lover he had known all his life, like a soul that was meant to be his across all of time. 

 

Their foreheads pressed together as he broke the kiss, both wearing small blissful smiles. Eddie hummed quietly, smiling to reveal his small fangs hiding underneath. Richie chuckled.

 

“You know I have a lot of questions for you, Eds.” He grinned. Eddie’s brow raised. 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, but the first one is, how old are you?” Richie’s smile widened as Eddie laughed, playfully pushing the man away.

 

Eddie got up from the bench, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.” He sighed, walking back to the market with Richie by his side.

 

“Me? Out of the two of us, you wear the ridiculous pants, m’dear.” Richie corrected with a laugh.

 

Eddie snorted. “Says the guy who just kissed a vampire.”

 

-Fin-

**Author's Note:**

> honeybeehanlon.tumblr.com


End file.
